Teen pleads guilty to pagoda fire in Tacoma park

Published 12:01 am Thursday, September 29, 2011

TACOMA — A 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty Wednesday in Tacoma to setting fire to the historic pagoda in the city’s Point Defiance Park.

The News Tribune reported he is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 11 in juvenile court.

Metro Parks employee spotted flames about 4 a.m. on April 15 in the 97-year-old pagoda in the park’s Japanese garden. The heavily damaged building had been a favorite site for weddings and other special events.

The teen was arrested April 20 after his bicycle was stopped by an officer at 1 a.m. in the morning. He had a gallon of gasoline in his backpack and a box of wooden matches.

Investigators later found text messages on his phone implicating him in the pagoda fire.